Harnessing Chaos
by Stradmire
Summary: Barry aims to become the very best. In order to do so he'll have to beat the champion Harry Potter in a Pokemon battle.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Barry sat relaxed on the professor's couch. His eyes were fixed on the actions flashing on the screen. One of the contestants was a familiar face. It was Harry Potter: one of the most experienced Pokémon battlers in the whole region. His opponent was a round man with a moustache. Barry figured since he'd never seen him before he must be a rookie. A very talented rookie, he started to realize. He wished the sound was on; he might learn something about this new trainer. Unfortunately, he didn't know where the remote was. Maybe the professor would show him when he was finished talking to Joe.

Barry had told Joe to ask the professor what to do about the new Pokémon they had found. He didn't need to say anything, as Joe would have done it anyways, but he liked the thought of being the leader.

He moved into a more comfortable position on the couch and watched as Charizard's fire blast ko'ed Ursaring. A close battle, but Harry remained undefeated. Barry wondered how he always seemed to figure out the best plan of action.

Just then, the sliding doors opened and Joe walked through, followed by Professor Oak. "Hey Barry! You caught yourself quite a rare Pokémon!" said Joe gleefully.

"I mean I already thought that but we just had to ask the professor to make sure," Barry turned to the Professor to hear what he had to say, but he was still gathering his thoughts. "Right, hey do you know where the remote is? I wanted to hear the TV."

The Professor looked confused for a second, then acknowledged the question. "It's, uh, on the table."

"Whatcha watchin', Barry?" interrupted Joe.

"Just another tournament. There was a close battle between Harry and some newcomer."

"I bet that was cool to watch!" Joe said enthusiastically.

Finally, the professor spoke up. "Hmmm.. yes Pokémon battles sure have become quite interesting since wizards have become involved. There are so many new things to research now. For example, the Pokémon you just caught. Would you mind if I kept it?"

Barry and Joe shot each other a surprised look. "I'll, uh, think about it" said Barry.

Oak bit his lip and breathed out disappointment "Very well then." He took a Pokéball from inside his white lab coat and handed it to Barry. "If you decide to let me have it, er, hold onto it, just give me a call okay?"

"Yeah," Barry said noncommittally, examining the Pokéball in his hand. He looked up to see Joe frown and the Professor break eye contact. Something seemed off, but Barry didn't think anything of it. "What could be the matter?" he thought that Joe might be worrying too much.

"Hey, Barry, why don't you let it out of its Pokéball for a moment?" suggested Joe.

"Huh? Why would you want me to do that?"

The professor spoke up, his voice a little more terse. "I'd rather you didn't do that here."

"Uh, sure, Joe. How about after I call Michelle?"

"That's fine. I just want to make sure you have the right Pokéball."

Barry hadn't even thought of that. Before he could fully comprehend the situation, the Professor walked up to him. "Haha looks like I got them mixed up. Sorry, I must be getting old. Good thinking, Joe." He swapped the pokeball he was holding for another one of Oak's. Although it didn't look different, it somehow felt more familiar. "Well it was nice seeing you two. I have to get back to my work. I'm sure you can let yourself out." And with that, the Professor left.

Joe relaxed a bit and asked "What would you like for lunch?"

Barry changed the subject. "Did the professor just try to steal my Pokémon?"

"Barry, I'm hungry, can't this wait?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm sure it was just his poor memory. Hmm.. how about beef stew?"

"Sounds good. Let's go find a good place to set up camp."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Barry sat in the shade of a pine tree to block the glare of the setting sun. On his phone, there was a little blue light that meant his camera was on. It was probably still morning in Michelle's time zone, he thought to himself. She might be preparing a late breakfast for the kids. Imagining this only made him homesick, so he wasted no more time in calling her.

He was afraid she wouldn't pick up until he heard her voice on the fourth ring. "Hello."

"Good morning, Michelle. How's life in the United States?"

"Well, everything is all right here at home. If you're asking about the current president, let's just say he could use some of your experience. I didn't know how impactful he could be until I experienced it myself." Just thinking of his duties as president made Barry more tired. "Anyways enough about me tell me what you've been up to?"

"Well, I just had a chat with the professor about the Pokémon I caught. Turns out it is rare. He wanted to keep it for himself."

"Oh it wouldn't be fair if he just took it for his research, would it? Anyways, it'll be nice when all this magic and Pokémon business is sorted out. I hope you'll come home and visit after this next tournament."

Barry wasn't listening. He was distracted by the smell of beef stew coming from Joe's cooking pot. "Uh, yeah, right" said Barry.

"Well, I look forward to it. Hope all goes well. See you, Barry." Michelle hung up and left Barry wondering if he had unknowingly agreed to something. Barry figured it was the same thing she always said: after the tournament he should come back home. Of course, he would only be able to do this if he lost. Truth be told, he really wanted to become champion of the UK region. That way he could set things straight. Currently, he didn't know what to expect. If he was champion, though, he would have almost unfathomable power to create his ideal world. His chest tightened a little bit when he thought about what might happen if this power fell into the wrong hands. This tournament was theoretically the best way to decide a leader. He felt that the right decision was made by the Ministry of Magic in that regard.

"Hey, Barry! Food's ready!" Barry was pulled out of his fantasy by Joe's voice. "This stew is really good!"

"It looks like it was made on a budget," said Barry half joking.

"That doesn't matter, just taste it."

"You're right. Of course it's good." said Barry, slurping.

Joe took out two Pokéballs and threw them into the air. Suddenly, a Pikachu and a Jigglypuff appeared. "You going to let yours out as well?" asked Joe.

"Yeah, I was just about to." Barry took his Pokéballs and tossed them. Then, four Pokémon stood before him: Machoke, Wartortle, Rapidash, and the blue Pokémon they had come to know as Sonic the Hedgehog.

"You like beef stew?" Joe inquired. Both Sonic and Machoke silently took a bowl. "Not trying to run away this time eh?" Joe said to Sonic who responded with a blank look.

"You said I couldn't catch you because I didn't know anything about Pokémon," said Barry.

"Well, you still caught me" said Sonic finally. "Of course, you still don't know anything about Pokémon if you think I'm one."

"Ah, you're from a different dimension, an ultra beast," said Joe clarifying. "That's closer to the truth" admitted Sonic. "Now I'd like to ask something of you," said Sonic finishing his stew. "Your world is in danger."

Joe almost spit out his soup. "What? How?"

"I was brought here from my world by someone known as Eggman. I have to stop him, or else you'll end up his slave."

Barry was stunned. Joe questioned sonic "You expect us to believe this? I bet this is a trick to get us to release you."

"Just how is this Eggman going to make us slaves?" asked Barry.

"The chaos emeralds. They grant you enormous power. They are artifacts from my world."

Joe looked to Barry. "Do you believe this guy?"

"Yes. If he's telling the truth, it should become obvious soon enough."

"You're not telling me that you're going to release him, are you?"

"No," Barry turned to Sonic. "We are going to work together."

Sonic made a disapproving sort of gesture "Looks like I don't have much of a choice. We'll have to get started looking right away."

"We just need to find one right? Then we can set a trap if Eggman is looking for them," suggested Barry. "No, that will make our job much more difficult. We want Eggman to obtain as few chaos emeralds as possible." Joe chimed in.

"How about we ask the Ministry of Magic if they know anything?"

"What's that?" asked Sonic.

"The authority on magic and our next destination." replied Barry.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Ministry of Magic ended up only being a two day journey from the Professor's lab. Along the way, they shared their wisdom when they camped. Barry figured that once they got to the Ministry of Magic, everything would fall into place. However, when they arrived, they were surprised to learn that Pokémon weren't allowed inside.

"I'm not a Pokémon!" Sonic proclaimed. But it didn't work.

"Here, Barry, hold on to my Pokémon while I go inside." said Joe.

"I was just about to suggest that." replied Barry.

"What are we supposed to do? Just sit here in the lobby?" Sonic said impatiently as Barry took the Pokéballs from Joe.

"Calm down. I trust Joe won't be long. Besides, there's a TV we can watch."

Sonic sighed and sat down dejectedly as Joe hurried inside the elevator without he and Barry.

"Hey, looks like we'll be watching a good battle." said Barry. "This guy held his own against Harry Potter."

Sonic looked up from where he was staring at the floor and his jaw dropped. "That's him! That's Doctor Eggman!"

"What? Really? You didn't tell me he was a Pokémon trainer. Oh, watch! He's mega evolving his metagross!"

"No, he's not a Pokémon trainer and oh my god that's not mega evolution! He's using a chaos emerald to power up his Pokémon!"

"His opponent should try and burn him. That would solve the problem," Barry suggested.

"You have no idea how powerful the chaos emeralds are. There's nothing that poor guy can do to win now." Barry watched as bullet punch ko-ed a charizard from full health. "With all seven chaos emerald he will be able to turn thoughts into action" Sonic said grimly.

"Why do you think he's battling in the practice tournament?" said Barry before Sonic could say it.

"Didn't you say there was a big prize for winning the grand tournament later this week?"

"Big is an understatement. This winner becomes champion. It's basically like being the president of Pokémon and magic. I think the ministry decided that because Harry Potter is likely to win."

Sonic furrowed his brows "So that means if the Ministry has the chaos emeralds, he can just take them if he wins?"

"Pretty much."

"We have to stop him from winning the tournament then!"

"Maybe he'll just lose in an early round and we won't have to do anything."

"Are you willing to bet your life on it?"

"Well.. I was planning on entering the tournament anyways. I don't know if I can beat him, though, looking at this battle."

"We have to do something. If you find a chaos emerald then you'll be on even ground."

"Where am I supposed to find one of those?"

"I don't know but we have to look."

Barry didn't have anything to say to that. He let his eyes glaze over the television as Chaos-Metagross bullet punched a Steelix into submission.

Two hours passed, and it was almost to the point where Barry thought Sonic was going to explode due to impatience when he heard a ding. The elevator doors opened to reveal Joe inside. "Hey, Barry."

"Welcome back. Took you a while" said Barry, standing up.

"Barry, I need a Leafeon. They are the cutest thing evar." squealed Joe.

"What? Did you find anything out about the chaos emeralds?"

"I'm confident it'll be worth it. I'd love it forever and ever. I need it, Barry."

"Okay, we'll find you one." Barry hoped that would be the end of it. "

Oh yes, that would be totally awesome." said Joe. Sonic noisily cleared his throat. "Oh yeah. I asked them about the chaos emeralds. Apparently they have an effect on Eevee. They managed to evolve a Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and a super cute Leafeon." Joe continued to recount. "They wouldn't let me see the emeralds, of course, due to security reasons but I got to play with some of the Pokémon in the nursery. Now I definitely know I want a Leafeon."

Sonic did not allow himself to look patient. "That means we know where five chaos emeralds are. Two are missing but I don't think we can convince any of the current known owners to give theirs up."

"Oh no! I asked if I could have a chaos emerald and they laughed at me." said Joe. "Then they said no."

The group pondered their situation for a moment. "We need to come up with a plan to stop Doctor Eggman" said Sonic. "I suppose we're looking for one of the other emeralds then?" Joe said.

"I still need to catch two more Pokémon before the tournament," Barry added. "I only have a team of four."

Joe put his hand up to his chin. "I have a feeling it won't be easy to find a chaos emerald."

Barry's eyes lit up "You don't suppose since the gems relate to Eevees they were found in the same environment do you?"

Sonic answered the question directed towards Joe. "That's usually how it is actually."

"I bet since the two missing emeralds are light blue and white, we might have luck searching on top of Mt. Alp. They might relate to ice or snow." Joe concluded.

"We should go find out." Barry looked to Sonic. Sonic seemed like he might object, but decided against it. Barry figured he was just glad to be done waiting and to actually go do something. "Well looks like it's settled then. Let's pack our bags for Mt. Alp. Maybe I'll find a Pokémon or two along the way." Barry said more cheerfully. With that, the group exited the Ministry of Magic with a new plan to stop Doctor Eggman.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When the group arrived at Mt. Alp, it was a crisp day. Sonic had led the way, always complaining that no one was going fast enough. Joe and Barry's faces read "please shut up" but Sonic didn't comprehend the thought of slowing down. Barry let him run on ahead and Joe accepted this new speedy annoyance was now part of his life. At the base of Mt. Alp, the path lead to the mouth of a cave.

"Hold up" said Joe. "Let's climb the mountain. It's dark inside so we won't be able to see anything."

Barry sighed. Sonic looked at the steep mountain face incredulously. "Screw that idea. I'm not even sure we can climb that."

"Look, I'll show you." Joe ran over and started climbing. With each step he launched fist sized rocks to the ground below him. He made it ten feet before he turned around and huffed. "See? Perfectly fine."

Sonic protested. "We have a straightforward path inside the mountain and you want me to climb it instead?!" he turned to Barry pleadingly.

Barry grumbled. "He's afraid of the dark."

"No I'm not!" Shouted Joe from above.

Barry looked up at Joe and gave his command "We're going through. It doesn't matter if we can or can't climb. We're looking for the chaos emeralds and we don't have time for a huge detour."

Joe took a moment before meekly responding "Fine."

The inside of Mt. Alp was eerily quiet. Joe's Pikachu knew Flash, and the light from that cast shadows on the walls of Zubat. There was the ambiance of a calm before the storm. The group had gone off the beaten path in search of chaos emeralds, but no one was yet ready to admit that they were lost. At about the time they were going to give in and find a way out, they heard voices.

"Ow, ow, ow that red one was feisty," said an unknown voice.

"Yeah! I say we cut our losses; one of these gems is enough," said another deeper voice.

"Yeah, we'll just tell the boss we only found one."

"He might only be able to hold one," the other laughed.

From around a corner, the duo came into view. Two men dressed in black stopped in their tracks. Their Voltorb gave Joe an angry look. Joe shrugged as if to communicate an apology. Meanwhile Barry and Sonic had their gazes fixed on two red R's on the men's outfits.

"Team Rocket," said Barry under his breath.

"Get lost, Knuckleheads." said the shorter deep voiced man.

"Ye yo gonna be a flat toast but how we are busy right now but if we weren't busy!" The tall man gave a manic look, and before the group could unbeffuddle themselves, he threw out a Koffing. "Koffing smokescreen!"

The scene was quickly blotted out by a thick cloud. Barry, Joe, and Sonic dropped to their knees and gasped for air.

Suddenly, Joe opened his eyes. The smoke was gone. Had he been sleeping? "Pikachu, Flash." A faint glow started to reveal the cave. He looked around to see Sonic and Barry were coming to. Joe turned around and gave a yelp. "Yeuchaa!?" He quickly took a karate stance. Before him stood a red, angry dog looking thing with gloves. Its arms hung from its shoulders in a way that gave the impression that the small gem it was holding actually weighed a ton. Its whole body was covered in scratches and it moved slowly.

"Knuckles?" said Sonic weakly.

"Sonic!? I—I can't belie—" but Joe had taken his chance. A Pokéball bounced off the creature's head and swallowed the thing. One. Two. Three. Click. Joe beamed and giggled as he picked up the Pokéball.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Sonic was livid. "How-?! Why-?! What are you doing?!" Sonic stammered.

"I was catching a Pokemon?" Joe responded innocently enough.

"Whaagrrr" Sonic wailed.

"Hey, I found something." Barry hunched over the spot Knuckles was moments before.

Joe's eyes widened "A chaos emerald! Good work, Barry!"

Sonic looked like he was about to learn the move Explosion. "I can't believe you just did that."

"And I can't believe you are still complaining nonstop." said Joe. "Maybe it's time for a break" Joe said to Barry.

"No you-!" but Sonic was recalled before he could say another word.

"I'm tired of him trying to boss us around too," said Barry. And so Sonic spent the rest of the uneventful trip through Mt. Alp inside his Pokéball.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been a couple days since the incident at Mt. Alp. However, Barry was still smoldering as it had just happened. It also didn't help that he and Joe had been looking to catch a strong Pokemon for hours to no avail inside a field of tall grass.

"C'mon Barry. Lighten up. I'm confident you'll find something soon"

Barry hesitated before answering. "We're just wasting too much time. Each minute we spend doing nothing, Team Rocket gets stronger. Not to mention, Dr. Eggman. Who knows what he's up to? And here we are searching for hours with nothing to show."

"Well, I believe there is still some value in hard work alone. Besides, this is something we have to do." said Joe, raising his voice to be heard through the dense foliage.

The two stepped into a clearing, and Barry saw Joe with blank expression. "Yeah, but if we had gotten lucky, we could have had better results without having to waste so much time."

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that," Joe said, puzzled. Barry turned around: Joe was behind him.

"Wait a minute..." Barry looked at the Joe before him a little closer. His eyes were dots and his smile was strange. "A Ditto!" Barry exclaimed finally catching on. He took out a Pokeball and tossed it. However, his target had been fast and danced into the bushes before the Pokeball had left Barry's fingertips. "No! Come back here! You imposter!" Barry chased after the Ditto wildly. He thought he might have lost it when suddenly, he made it to a clearing with the form of the puzzled Joe in the middle. Barry was quick this time. Joe hadn't even realized what was going on when the Pokeball bounced of his head, and still didn't realize what was happening when nothing happened to him. "Ow. That hurt, Barry."

"Oh. Uh. I thought... you might have been a Pokemon."

Joe frowned. Barry was about to explain further when he saw a tuft of white hair cutting quickly through the fields to his left. "Gotta go," he said leaving Joe without any further explanation. Barry ran after the Ditto with a Pokeball at the ready, trying his hardest to keep track of the Ditto between short glimpses. Finally, he reached another clearing. The Pokeball left his hand the instant he spotted his target. This time, it wouldn't have any time to react.

"Ow. Barry, this isn't a fun game."

Barry gave Joe a defeated look and slouched down now out of breath.

"Why do you keep doing-" but Joe's question was cut short by the appearance of himself. "Well, there's a handsome fellow."

Barry stood up straight "Go, Machoke. You do the running," he said, still half wheezing. Barry lifted and threw a Pokeball into the air. Machoke now stood opposite of the Ditto. This time, the Ditto didn't run. "Close combat!" commanded Barry.

Joe watched, horrified as his likeness was pummeled into submission a few feet away.

"Well, you know what they say. Third time's- third time you don't throw it at Joe," Barry said, his Pokeball dully bouncing off the defeated Ditto.

Joe looked down, slightly aghast as the Pokeball rolled to a stop and made a familiar clicking noise. "I'm going to have nightmares now," said Joe.

Just then, a white glow started to fill the clearing. The source of this glow was none other than Barry's Machoke. The two friends stood there in awe as a Machamp slowly formed in front of them.

Barry let a smile fill his face. "Looks like today wasn't much of a waste after all," he said, with a hint of glee.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A day had passed since the previous day. Barry and Joe now found themselves inside the familiar environment of a Pokemon center. The space somehow managed to be barren yet comfortable. A good place to catch up on the news, and it just so happened that a flat screen in the corner was showing just that: a tale of the latest events.

"Just today, the Ministry was robbed. This is the third theft this week, which puts the number of stolen Pokemon in the hundreds. Among the stolen items were magical artifacts known as the Chaos Emeralds. It's likely the wizards involved were part of Team Rocket, and authorities are doing their best to track them down. Additionally, the investigation continues into the current leadership of Team Rocket. Recent rumors point to connections in America. Just how far does this criminal network spread?"

Joe shifted in his chair as the screen changed to show another newscaster in another location. "Kingsley is here with us today to discuss the safety of the tournament. Kingsley, thank you so much for being here. I know you must be incredibly busy. Can you tell us if we should be concerned about Pokemon thieves making an appearance at the upcoming tournament?"

"We understand that there will be many rare Pokemon as part of the tournament. However, because safety is our number one concern, there is nothing to worry about."

"Thanks for your time, sir. To all our viewers out there, make sure to report any suspicious activity and keep your Pokemon safe."

Joe rose to his feet, fists and teeth clenched unable to sit still. "This is sick! Stealing Pokemon?! We have to do something, Barry!"

Barry, who had not been listening to the news, let out a tired sigh. "Joe, we don't have enough manpower. We couldn't even do anything about the grunts in the cave. We don't have the ability to do anything at the moment."

Joe ground his teeth, unable to come up with a retort. Barry continued in an attempt to change the subject. "I'm going to call Michelle before we head out." Joe nodded stiffly as Barry left.

Joe paced around, gripping his wrist behind his back. Occasionally, he would pause to look at the TV before shaking his head. Then, he abruptly came to a halt mid-stride. His hands found a Pokeball at his waist. Joe took a deep breath before tossing it into the air. Moments later, Knuckles appeared.

"We finally out of that cave?" Knuckles enquired.

"Oh yeah, that was a few days ago," said Joe.

Knuckles eyes widened and in a panicked voice he said: "The Emerald! What happened to the Chaos Emerald?!"

"We have it, don't worry. Actually, I wanted to ask you a quick question. On a scale of one to ten, how good are you at destroying international criminal organizations?"

"What?" Joe watched as Knuckles struggled to reorient his view of his current situation. "Let me get this straight. We have the Chaos Emerald?"

"Yes."

"And we need to take down some bad guys is what you're saying?"

"Yes, a whole criminal organization."

"Hmmm…are they tough?"

"They've got us beat in both numbers and strength. That's why I was asking if you might have the ability to do something like that, because at the moment, we're powerless. We can't do anything about them." Joe said with a voice tainted in frustration.

Knuckles' speech suddenly grew intense. "That's no way to think! There's always a way! And if there isn't, you build your own way!" He started to become more excited and stepped onto the coffee table. "You have to work hard and push yourself mercilessly! When all you think about is getting stronger, that's when you'll get results! If you throw yourself into your cause with everything you've got, then you'll be able to achieve anything your heart desires!"

Joe's eyes started to turn intense. "Hell yeah! We have to fight them with everything we've got no matter what!"

"Yes, that's the spirit!"

When Barry returned, he was not amused to see Knuckles standing on the table and making a scene. "Joe, what's going on? Why is he out?"

"Barry!-!—We can't let them do this! We have to train without end to be the heroes this world needs! We have to get strong to beat Team Rocket!"

"That's right, Joe! You tell 'em!" Said Knuckles from the table.

"Joe, as much as I'd like to become some vigilante hero and take down Team Rocket, there's no way to do that."

"Not with that attitude, Barry! We gotta want it more than them! Blood, sweat, and tears, Barry!"

"Yeah!" said Knuckles now making fighting poses on the table.

"It's not that simple," said an exasperated Barry.

"We have to start somewhere!" said a determined Joe puffing his chest out.

Barry sighed. "Well, I suppose there is some truth to that. Let's pack up and head out. It seems we need to burn some energy."

Joe took out his Pokeball and recalled Knuckles who was in the middle of doing pushups on the table. "I can't wait," said Joe.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"And the duo crept through the forest knowing danger could be around any corner." Said Joe, narrating. "Oh what's this? It appears Barry has heard something. He goes to investigate. It's a-! Another Venipede."

Barry grumbled at the Venipede.

"The seasoned pros will probably have to look elsewhere for stronger Pokemon." Joe explained aloud.

"Seasoned pros?" asked Barry in a questioning tone.

"Yeah, Barry! We're like real trainers now. We've traveled across the land searching, far and wide. There's some Pokemon we understand. I'm hungry for something fried."

Barry made a confused look as this did not really answer his question. "I feel like I've heard that somewhere before…"

"Yeah. Don't you remember yesterday when I complained about not eating fried chicken in a while? Also now that I think about it, can you catch chicken in a Pokeball? Barry, could you imagine the possibilities?"

"Joe…" Barry trailed off, unable to come up with an answer.

Just then, they heard a voice in the distance. "C'mon Guacamole, don't give up."

"Did you hear that?" said Joe in a hushed voice.

"Sounds like someone's over there." Said Barry as he shifted his gaze through the trees all around him. "Joe, look! A Simisage!" he said in a loud whisper. "Hey, Joe, you check out that voice while I catch this Pokemon? I'll find you after."

"Sure, Barry. I can handle a little adventure on my own." Joe said clasping his hands together. "Good luck, Barry," And Joe was off, leaving Barry to his own devices. Joe made his way toward where he thought he had heard the voice. Again he heard it. "Guacamole, use tackle." It was close this time. Only moments later, Joe found what had been making the noise. A tall trainer with glasses was using an Archeops to fight a Lillipup. Archeops mirrored the trainers enthusiasm, which meant it looked like it wanted to go home. The trainer found Joe looking at him. "Oh. Hi. For a second I thought you might be my brother." He said reaching out for a handshake.

Joe didn't reciprocate the gesture. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself first?"

"Oh." The other trainer looked taken aback. "I'm Jeb. I thought—well… nevermind"

"Well, nice to meet you," said Joe, finally shaking the outstretched hand. "What are you doing out here in the woods?"

"I'm trying to catch a Pokemon" gesturing towards the two Pokemon embroiled in an intense game of 'don't look at each other.'

"And how's that going?"

"Not very good. I'm not very good." Said Jeb sadly.

"That's no way to think! If you want to be good, you have to work hard and push yourself! If you throw yourself into getting better, you'll be able to get better." Joe looked Jeb up and down and added: "At least a little bit."

"You think so?" said Jeb, looking up from his feet.

"Uh-huh." said Joe.

"Okay, Guacamole. Use tackle!" said Jeb in an almost commanding way.

The Archeops walked over to the Lillipup and bird-slapped it. The Lillipup did not look amused.

Jeb took out a Pokeball, set his eyes on his target, and threw. The Pokeball soared through the air and landed roughly ten feet away from the Lillipup.

"Get closer!" Joe said.

Jeb cut the distance between himself and his target by half and tried again. This time he only missed by five feet.

"Get really close!" Joe said.

Jeb then walked all the way up to the Lillipup and dropped the Pokeball on its forehead.

One. Two. Three. Click. Jeb's eyes widened as he stepped backward in shock. "I—I did it?"

"You certainly did do that." said Joe answering the rhetorical question.

"I caught a Pokemon!" Said Jeb, almost tearful now. "I'm going to name it Li'l Guac."

Joe nodded thoughtfully.

"Hey Joe! You over here?" came the familiar voice of Barry as he stepped into the clearing.

"What's going on? Who's this?" asked Barry.

"That's some guy named Jeb. He caught a Pokemon." Explained Joe.

"Speaking of catching Pokemon…" Barry said, leading on Joe to ask the question.

"Did you catch it? The Simisage?"

"You bet I did. It was no match for Rapidash and I."

"Awesome, Barry! You now have a full team!" Said Joe excitedly.

"Hey, Joe, thank you. You really know your stuff when it comes to Pokemon. I hope I can repay you someday." said Jeb with a genuine smile. "I have to leave now though."

"Happy to help." Joe replied waving as Jeb left.

Barry looked at Joe. "You know your stuff huh?"

"Of course. We're real Pokemon trainers, remember?"

Barry smiled at that. "You know what, Joe? Today's been a good day. Maybe we can celebrate our successes at our next stop with some fried chicken."

"I like that idea."

"Well, get ready 'cause in about two hours, we'll be in Hogsmead."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It turned out to be that Hogsmead was entirely different than Barry had imagined. He had expected a city with tall buildings and roads, but what he found instead could barely be considered a town. He started to come up with something to tell Joe. He had a feeling that fried chicken wouldn't be on the menu for that evening. However, as he was bracing for Joe's disappointment, Joe spoke.

"Hey, Barry, look, a candy store!" he said, pointing.

Barry's eyes moved to where Joe was pointing. "Honeydukes? Sounds like your kinda place Joe."

Ten minutes later, they were walking down the street, Joe with chocolate frogs in hand.

"I hope there aren't actual frogs in this." said Joe wearily.

"Maybe you should have considered that while we were still in the store."

"Well, I won't know until I try it," said Joe, opening one of the containers.

"Hey, what do you know? It's chocolate that looks like a frog." Joe said a moment before the frog leaped away.

"Hey! It's getting away!" Joe started to run after it. "Barry, help me catch it."

Barry knew how to deal with fast moving objects. Or, he knew who would deal with fast moving objects for him. "Go, Sonic!"

"Whoa, where are we? Where's the mountain we just came out of?"

"That was several days ago. Right now I need you to catch a frog made of chocolate." Barry said with urgency in his voice.

"What?" Sonic choked on his words. "What have you been doing all this time?!"

"Well I caught a couple Pokemon, so, we've made progress. Anyways, that chocolate frog is getting away…hmmm…actually, I don't want Joe to eat that."

In the distance Barry could see Joe zigzagging along the path to try and catch the agile frog to no avail.

"I guess I brought you out for no good reason." Barry started to reach for Sonic's Pokeball.

"Oh no you don't! You're not putting me back in there until I'm sure you have the machine we need."

"What machine?" asked Barry.

"What do you mean 'what machine?' We need a machine like Eggman's or else we can't use a single Chaos Emerald by itself."

"Why didn't you tell me this until now?" said Barry, slipping the Pokeball back on his belt.

"Because I've been inside a Pokeball this whole time! It's kind of hard to give you advice when I'm in there." Sonic said animatedly.

"Uh, that was kind of the point." Barry replied.

"Uhhhgggg" Sonic grumbled in frustration. "If we don't have a machine, then we can't beat Eggman. It's as simple as that."

"Well, tell me where they sell them and I'll go buy one." Barry offered.

"You can't buy it. You need a genius to make one." Sonic replied.

Barry looked at Sonic with impatient eyes. He struggled to come up with the right words for the contempt he felt for Sonic's plan. "Well, I guess were going with plan B then. Just fight without fancy machines."

"You won't stand a chance," Sonic said, certain of the failure.

"Well if it's so important to you I'll let you come out of your Pokeball if we find a Radioshack."

Sonic began "What is a—" but was recalled before he could finish asking what a Radioshack was.

Barry looked around for Joe. At the end of the street he could see him in a conversation with something, something that appeared to be a huge man. Barry had never seen anyone so tall. It reminded Barry of a bear. Barry walked toward the two eventually getting close enough to hear them.

"So yer not from around 'ere are yeh?" The large man said.

"No, I'm a Pokemon trainer out on an adventure." Joe replied to the man.

"A Pokemon trainer, eh? I've caught me some Pokemon too. Long time ago, even before Pokemon were around, I 'ad me a dragon. Norbert I called 'im. Though righ' now I just run the Pokemon daycare."

Joe turned to introduce Barry when he reached him. "Hey, let me introduce you to Hagrid."

"Well. Hello. Yeh must be Barry." Hagrid said cheerily.

Barry nodded. "I just heard you say you run a Pokemon daycare. What's that like?"

"Oh I wouldn' do anythin' else. 'S a wonderful job. Though today 's been nothin' but trouble. 'ad some no good thief try and steal a pokemon. Ad' to chase 'im of 'n he left this behind." Hagrid pulled from his cloak a strange looking machine with a gem shaped hole in the front.

Barry knew this had to be it. "Hey, we've been looking for a machine just like that!" he said.

"We have?" said Joe.

"Any chance you might decide to part with it?" asked Barry.

"Sorry, this is a suspicious objec'. I need to make sure it ain' goin' to cause trouble."

"But…can you give it to us after you do that?"

"I don' think so. 'S possible the Aurors will keep it if 'S used fer trouble."

Barry started to protest, but Hagrid quickly said his goodbyes and strode away.

Joe looked at Barry and asked: "Did we really need that?"

Barry paused before answering. "I…I don't know... It's no use now, we should just train for the tournament."

"I couldn't agree more," said Joe as the two made their way out of Hogsmead.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Barry felt as if the past two days were sped up dreams. He felt as if He and Joe had trained to their limits. He felt as if they hadn't done enough. Those Pokemon he trained…so far they hadn't stood a chance against Harry's team. Barry tried to shake the dread that was beginning to climb inside of him. Only two Pokemon left to deal with Harry's six. "How did this happen?" Barry began to ask himself.

Yesterday's scenes flashed in Barry's mind. Eating, sleeping, training. Right before registering for the tournament was a moment in which Joe had caught an Eevee. Barry began to smile, that is, until shock brought him back into a reality. A reality where he was losing 1-6. His Machamp had fainted.

Dread was quick this time and Barry wasn't ready for it. He failed to find his words and silently and awkwardly recalled Machamp. Looking down now at his final Pokeball, he breathed a sigh of despair. It was out of his hands now.

The crowd's atmosphere did a somersault when, a streak of blue, shot up into the air and took down Harry's Charizard. "Finally," Barry breathed in. Sonic had saved Barry from the humiliations of being swept by a single Pokemon.

Harry, nonplussed, sent out his next Pokemon, Gyarados. Sonic laughed, "Thought a Gyarados might intimidate me? Think again." Another blue streak, another fainted Pokemon. "Hywuh?" mouthed Barry. Sonic began to act casual, and smiled. The crowd began to act bananas and cheered. Could this really be a comeback?

One by one, each Pokemon met its fate. Sawsbuck, Pyroar, Vaporeon, and finally, Serperior. Sonic's streak had bested Charizard's. A roar lifted the stadium. Barry couldn't believe what just happened. He looked over to see Harry twice as dumbstruck as himself. Neither could believe it. Barry had won.

Smiling and waving, Barry had slowly made it back to the room he'd been allowed to use as a semi-finalist. He had barely made it in the door when Joe assaulted him with cheers. "Holy smokes and mackerels, Barry! You actually pulled it off!"

"Yes, yes I know," said Barry, trying unsuccessfully not to be hugged.

"It was the most amazing match I've ever seen, Barry!" Joe said, releasing Barry.

"Joe I…I don't know if I can do this."

"Wait…what do you mean by that?" Joe said with a voice suddenly drained of enthusiasm.

"I mean, I almost lost. Now look at what's going to happen." Barry pointed to a screen on the wall.

"You're up against Dr. Eggman," Joe said grimly.

"I thought there might be a chance I wouldn't have to face him. I…I mean…it should have been Harry who won!"

"Barry!"

"It's true, you know it's true!"

"Shut up, Barry! No, no, it's not true. You deserved to win. You won fair and square!"

"But I—"

"You have one hiccup and now you think it's to over. Is that it? You had full confidence this whole time and now is when you want to give it up?!"

"That's not—"

"Barry, if—" But Joe was cut off by the door. It was being knocked on.

"Come in," said Barry.

And so, the door revealed to them: Hagrid. "Still wan' to make a trade, Joe?" he said.

"Remember those chocolate frogs, Barry?" Joe said. "Turns out they have cards inside."

Barry didn't know what that had to do with anything. He watched as Joe handed what appeared to be a card for…wait…could it be?

"One weird machine for ye, and I get me card of Dumbledore."

The items switched hands and Joe turned to Barry as Hagrid parted.

"Like I was saying," Joe began saying. "Don't you ever doubt yourself or your team ever again."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Barry mulled over Joe's words as he entered the arena. This time, Sonic would go first.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for," said the announcer through the loudspeaker. Barry and Dr. Eggman threw their Pokeballs at the same time. Barry inserted the chaos emerald into the machine. He looked across the arena to see Dr. Eggman also fiddling with a device. Barry used the sights to aim the machine at Sonic. Sonic gave a nod. Barry pulled the trigger and heard a whump. Sand flew up then dissipated to reveal a glowing Sonic. Another whump. Chaos-Metagross appeared.

Sonic rocketed into and off Metagross. Metagross groaned and leaned but kept its balance. Before Sonic touched the ground Metagross was halfway across the arena. When Sonic landed, he was met by Metagross' fist. Sonic tumbled to the ground, but was quick to his feet. This time, Sonic dodged Metagross.

"Is that all you got?" said Sonic.

Barry thought the battle would stretch through the whole afternoon when the blue and silver blurs stopped. Sonic was breathing heavy. Metagross stumbled and fell. Barry held his breath. He watched as Sonic fell to his knees. Barry hesitated to believe it was over. Metagross and Sonic had fainted.

Barry was reaching for his next Pokeball when he felt it. His legs felt funny. He heard a low grumble. Before him, a mound began to form. A metallic whine pierced the air and from the earth sprouted a large golden drill. The crowd gasped. The pitch slowed and the drill came to a stop in the center of the arena. Barry took a step sideways to get a better look. The drill was 40 feet long including the tip. On the side was a hatch. Barry watched as it opened. He took a step back when he saw what was inside. Team rocket and The Don.

"I want those Chaos Emeralds and you're going to give them to me," said the Don as his lackeys began to swarm the arena.

Barry looked down at the machine in his hand, then looked up to see the Don smiling. The crowd was in panic. Team Rocket grunts were stealing Pokemon. A wizard flew over the drill and handed Dr. Eggman's Chaos Emerald to the Don.

"Now you have no chance," said the Don. "Barry, give the last emerald to me."

Barry started walking backwards.

"Take it from him!" said the Don.

Barry looked to his left. The grunts from Mt. Alp were running toward him. He braced himself, but the grunts never reached him. A hydropump had swept them away. Barry followed the stream of water to a Ludicolo.

"Let's bring the rain, Lord Guacohby!" said Jeb.

Barry felt the sun leave his skin and looked up to see the sky had grown dark.

"What's the hold up?" the Don said.

Jeb was not the only trainer to leave the stands. Trainers were attacking his entourage on all sides.

Barry thought he might be able to escape when he felt something crash into the back of his head. He dropped to the hard sandy ground with a thud. Through blurred vision, he watched as a dark robed figure take the emerald from him. The pain in his head prevented him from protesting.

Barry watched as the 7 emeralds began to float around the Don. The first drops of rain began to make splotches on the ground. The whole of the stadium's attention was on the Don. That was Harry's chance. A bolt of magical energy burst from his wand and the emeralds were yanked from above the Don. However, they didn't make it very far. Harry was gone as soon as he had appeared. The emeralds hung in the air for a moment longer before dropping onto an unsuspecting Jeb.

Barry staggered to his feet and gasped. Jeb was radiant. Rain was pouring now and Barry could tell he was looking at the power of a storm.

"By the power of guacamole, I banish thee to the underworld!" said Jeb. In a flash of lightning, Team Rocket and the Don were gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In the aftermath of the battle, Barry met Harry and Jeb in the middle of the field. Harry had just finished saying something when the emeralds reappeared in front of Jeb.

"That was too much wild energy for me," said Jeb.

Harry nodded and looked past Jeb at an approaching Dr. Eggman. "These will return you to your world." Harry said to him.

Dr. Eggman was about to speak when Joe was heard saying "Hold on a second, you guys! Don't forget my Pokemon!"

Joe took out a Pokeball and tossed it. "The green gem can evolve my Eevee right?" he said.

Eevee was now expectantly looking up at Harry. A hint of a smile crossed his face "You're right."

Not a minute later, Joe was gleefully hugging his Leafeon. Harry made a portal. Dr. Eggman gave a knowing glance to Harry then left without a word. Knuckles followed, carrying a still unconscious Sonic, waving to Joe as he left. Joe didn't notice. With a flick of his wand, Harry closed the portal and sent the emeralds back too. It was only Harry, Barry, and Joe left. Jeb had wandered off somewhere.

Barry let out a long sigh. "Harry, I don't want the job. You are much more capable than I am, you deserve the title of minister."

"If you're sure," said Harry.

"I'm positive," said Barry. "Joe, we've been away from our families for too long. It's time to go home."

Joe gave Barry the most sincere look he had ever seen and said "I'm going to cuddle the snot out of this Leafeon!"

THE END


End file.
